After years of pleading with city hall for help with our $45,000 annual property tax bill, we were finally forced to sell our Army, Navy and Air Force veterans club at 43rd and Fraser, which had been open since 1962. We have been in the community a long time. The original unit, built in 1918 at 46th and Fraser, burned down.

Across Canada, cities and municipalities have recognized the benefits of veterans clubs and provide them with property tax exemptions. Sadly, not so in Vancouver. Initially, city hall said the Vancouver Charter would have to allow tax exemptions. We were delighted when the provincial government did that in 2010. But after lengthy study the city still refused to help, saying they didn’t want to set a precedent and because our lounge sold beer. As a non-profit organization we do not profit from beer sales. All our funds go to supporting veterans and charities, so we were baffled at their rationale.

I understand that there is a fine line between protecting private community facilities and interfering with the free market, but that line has to be crossed by governments if we are to maintain these valuable spaces.

If we left it up to the private sector, we would end up with no diversity and only land uses that provide the greatest monetary return to developers. Maybe Vancouver blew it with the Ridge and Hollywood Theatres, but three wrongs do not make a right.

F. Ron Yorston, Delta

Public-sector workers need right to strike most

Regarding Brian Lee Crowley’s Jan. 15 column advocating removing the right to strike from public-sector unions, I believe public-sector workers need the right to strike as much as private-sector workers.

In both cases, the employer has all the power. In fact, in the public-sector, the employer has even more power because the government can pass legislation against a union. The right to strike is often the only means available to negotiate fair working conditions and wages for workers.

Paul Burritt, North Vancouver

Unions not needed for government workers to be protected

Allowing monopolies to strike is a recipe for disaster. In a competitive environment, demands are tempered by the need to remain competitive with the competition. Both the employer and employees have to be concerned how any work stoppage impacts their customer base. When you have a monopoly there is no such constraint.

In many countries public-sector workers are not allowed to strike. This does not mean that the employer can just run roughshod over their employees. Instead, wages and benefits are linked to a “basket” of wages and benefits of similar private-sector workers.

Workers cannot hold taxpayers hostage with uncompetitive demands and the government cannot freeze wages and benefits whenever it is politically expedient. Why not try this model?

Steen Petersen, Nanaimo

All governments use ads

Former NDP premier Ujjal Dosanjh did massive commercial advertising. All of the provinces, including NDP Manitoba and Nova Scotia, have similar ads.

Where has the level playing field gone when it comes to criticism? Why is it OK to have similar commercial advertising elsewhere, but not OK in B. C.?

Has anyone noticed that these commercials in B.C. or in the rest of Canada do not mention parties and only pertain to what the government is doing? Not a word about the B.C. Liberals, or a word about the NDP under Ujjal Dosanjh in his ads.

Joe Sawchuk, Duncan

Dumb pedestrians are the problem

Politicians talking about lowering speed limits due to the number of pedestrians hit by vehicles should give their heads a shake.

Speed limits are low enough and are not the problem. The problem is the number of morons who walk out without looking and no police giving out jaywalking tickets. If police would issue tickets, maybe pedestrians would stop walking out into traffic without looking.

Shawn Storey, Surrey

Hoarders ruin neighbourhoods

By stating, “There’s a little hoarder in all of us,” Capt. Doug Booth is making excuses for people with extreme, anti-social behaviour. I wonder if he’d say it if he had the misfortune to live next door to one?

I had a good chuckle at the handing out of 14-day compliance orders. How does this work? The reality is that such orders are simply ignored and become yet another object in a huge pile of junk.

Mental illness is sad, but spare a thought for the poor person living next door.

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